An Unexpected Change
by Angelic Moonlight
Summary: After Sora yet again gets herself into trouble thanks to her indecision, Mimi comes up with a plan that leads to an unexpected afternoon date...Mimato.
1. Breaking the Ice

**A.N. – Well hello there, strangers! It has been a very, very long time since I was last here posting a fic, however the recent discovery of Digimon Adventure Tri and reading some great Mimato fics has given me the bug again! So here you go, a sappy little bit of fluff that has been stuck in my head for a couple of weeks. I wrote this in a few hours, so I apologise if it feels a bit rushed. I do hope you enjoy it and constructive criticism is always welcome!  
**

 **I would like to dedicate this fic to all of the wonderful Mimato writers out there – I'm sure you all know who you are ;) We are a bit of an endangered species these days but I applaud you all for not abandoning all hope! Consider this a Valentine's Day gift from me to you.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon.**

 **An Unexpected Change**

 **1- Breaking the Ice**

The sound of her chirpy cellphone ringtone breaking the silence came as a welcoming distraction to Mimi, whose head was spinning from trying to understand her mathematics assignment. Breathing a sigh of relief she picked up the phone and was happy to see Sora's name on the display.

"Sora! Hey, thank goodness you called, my homework is driving me-"

"Mimi, help!" Sora cut the girl off from her complaining, her voice sounding a little panicked. Mimi immediately pushed her seat back from her desk and jumped up, ready to run to her friend's aid at a moment's notice. "I've done something really stupid – oh man, I can't believe I've done this again, what's _wrong_ with me?!" Sora continued to ramble, mainly it seemed to herself more than actually to the friend she'd called.

"Wait, wait, Sora – calm down! What have you done?" Mimi managed to interrupt the red-haired girl.

"I agree to meet with Taichi this afternoon..."

"Oh? What for? Is this maybe...a _date_?!" Mimi grinned.

"Erm, maybe, kinda, sorta...I dunno..." Sora started to ramble a little again and Mimi could just tell from her voice that she was blushing. "The thing is, I may have also agreed to meet Yamato...at the same time..."

" _WHHHAAAT_?!" Mimi rolled her eyes and sat down on the edge of her bed. "Oh Sora, why are you so indecisive? You really should start deciding which one of these boys you actually want to date! It's not fair on them and it's also not fair on all of those other girls in school who I know constantly hope to date one of them."

"Other girls want to date Taichi and Yamato?"

"Uh, well, of course – they _are_ handsome young men, remember?" Mimi shook her head and sighed. "So you need me to help you decide which one to let down?"

"Erm, maybe? I don't know – which one do you think I should go with?" Mimi laid back on her bed and stared at the ceiling, considering Sora's options. There was Taichi – usually brave, kind and with a good sense of humour but also known for being a bit hot-headed and a bit of an "actions-first consequences-later" type. Good looking with his wild brown hair and deep eyes. Then there was Yamato – the good-hearted musician who could also be moody and withdrawn and argumentative. Handsome with his well-styled blonde hair and piercing blue eyes.

"Sora, you know this a decision you should be making yourself! But today I will help you out – anything to get out of doing this boring maths homework!"

"Really?" Sora's voice was full of hope. "What's your plan?"

"Ok, so you arrange to meet both of them in the same place. If I'm right (and I usually am pretty good at these things!) one of them is _bound_ to be running late – so you go with the one that arrives first." Mimi suggested.

"Hmmm, well, that sounds like a good idea; but what about when the other arrives?"

" _Yours truly_ will be there to break the bad news that you have suddenly been taken ill and you felt so bad about letting them down that you asked me to meet them and apologise on your behalf." Mimi smiled to herself, proud of her plan, which to her sounded perfect.

"But what if they both decide to arrive at the same time?!" Sora started to sound panicked again. "Oh Mimi this is so bad! Poor Taichi, poor Yamato!"

"Oh _poor Sora_! Two of the most eligible guys in the school chasing after her!" Mimi commented sarcastically, amused at her friend's dilemma. "If they both turn up, well we'll just have to cross that bridge if we come to it!"

* * *

And so it was that Mimi and Sora met at the park an hour later, both hoping that one of Sora's suitors would be running late.

"What do you think of my outfit? Is it ok? It's not too much for an afternoon..." Sora just couldn't bring herself to say the word 'date' and Mimi giggled and gave her shoulder a squeeze.

"You look great, but it doesn't matter – you could be wearing a paper bag and those boys would still be fighting to get your attention!" Mimi winked and Sora sighed, her shoulders sagging.

"This is stupid, I should just call one of them and cancel..."

"They'll be on their way now, let's just see what happens." Mimi reassured her, but she was also feeling a little nervous and wondered if Sora was right. Why was she doing this anyway? It's not like either of the boys had shown her any kind of attention other than to engage her in casual conversation or tease her. However she looked at Sora's pensive face and knew she wasn't doing it for Taichi or Yamato but for Sora. She really didn't want to let one of them down and she obviously still wasn't ready to choose between them. So if she could get a chance to spend time with one of them alone maybe it would help, and they could let fate decide which one she would meet with today...although Mimi was _really_ hoping Yamato would turn up first. Taichi was so much easier to deal with and she was sure that if he still wanted to hang out with someone that afternoon they could actually have an enjoyable time. She and Yamato had never really been alone together before and she wasn't sure how to even really _speak_ to him. _Please, please Taichi, just miss the bus or something!_ She prayed silently...

Unfortunately, the universe was _not_ on her side that day.

"Mimi! There's Taichi!" Sora gasped, suddenly smoothing down the pale yellow skirt she was wearing. Taichi was sauntering over, dressed in a soccer shirt and jeans. "Oh no, he's dressed pretty casually! I knew this outfit was a mistake..."

"Calm down Sora, everything will be fine! I'd better go, good luck!" Mimi grinned and gave her the thumbs-up as she walked over to a bench nearby and took a seat. She felt a little emotional as she watched her friend greet Taichi almost like she'd never spent any time alone with him in her life. "Soooo cute!" She couldn't help but clap her hands and stamp her feet excitedly. "Mimi, you may have just witnessed the start of something beautiful!" However suddenly her excitement turned into dread and she thought her heart might actually stop.

 _Yamato_.

She actually had to stop herself from getting up and just leaving. That seemed easier than having to deal with the blonde.

"Uuurrgh, thanks for being on time for the first time in your life, Taichi." She groaned as Sora and Taichi walked off into the park together.

* * *

Five minutes later Yamato arrived, and for a minute Mimi just remained in her spot on the bench and just stared at him. He suddenly looked taller to her; his blonde hair was stylishly mussed up and he was dressed simply in a white t-shirt and black jeans. He was looking round and checking his phone and Mimi suddenly jumped out of her seat when she realised he was starting to press buttons. _Agh I can't let him call or text Sora_! She told herself sharply and started to walk quickly in his direction.

"Hey, Yamato," she called out to him, thankfully distracting him from his actions.

"Mimi, hey, what are you doing here?" He asked curiously, quickly putting his phone back in his pocket.

"Is it a crime for a girl to be at the park on a lovely afternoon like this?" the girl fired back at him. "Actually I'm here to see you; Sora sent me." Yamato raised an eyebrow suspiciously and Mimi felt herself flinch at his look. She felt like her heart was going to burst out of her chest and suddenly she wondered what she had got herself into. Lying was _not_ her forte – what if he saw right through it? And lying to a friend, although not a particularly close one, definitely wasn't something she liked doing. _This is for Sora though, and she's my best friend in the world_ , she reminded herself. "Sora is really sorry but she is feeling pretty sick and couldn't make it to meet you. She is _so_ ill she could barely speak to me on the phone, so when she told me she was supposed to meet you I told her I would just come and meet you and tell you in person so she could get some rest. So, here I am and that is my message from Sora – she was so very sorry and hopes you can arrange to meet up again sometime soon."

Silence followed.

"Oh," Yamato finally broke the silence with a single syllable, folding his arms over his chest.

"So, yeah, I guess that's that," Mimi shrugged. "I'm sorry I had to bring bad news."

"That's ok, it was nice of you to do that," Yamato remarked. "So, what are you doing now?"

The question took Mimi completely by surprise.

"What? Erm, well, nothing I guess." She answered. Yamato dropped his arms again and just gazed at her with no discerning expression on his face.

"Well, looks like I'm in the same boat now. So, do you want to get something to eat?"

Yet another question that threw Mimi. She had just expected him to thank her for the message then leave – _not_ ask her if she wanted to go eat!

"Are you paying?" She couldn't help but grin at him cheekily. Yamato sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

"I _was_ going to buy Sora dinner, so I guess can treat her messenger instead," he smiled back at her and started to walk. "Do burgers sound good?"

"Ooh yum, yes please!" Mimi enthused. _I guess since I've lied to him I can make it up to him by spending some time with him; after all, I had already decided to hang out with Taichi if it had been him who'd arrived late_ , she decided.

"There's a new place just opened up around the corner – they claim to have the best burgers outside of the USA – I guess you'll be able to judge that." Yamato told her as they walked.

"Yep, I like to think I am a burger expert," the brunette announced. "I tried so many different ones in New York!"

"I will look forward to the Burger Queen's opinion then." The blonde said jokingly and Mimi laughed.

* * *

The restaurant was pretty busy but the pair managed to find a table and order their food. The silence between them was almost stifling. Mimi had no idea how to start a conversation with the older boy and it seemed he was as just as at a loss as her. He looked around the restaurant at all the other people chatting away and making it look so _simple_ , then he looked at Mimi and felt his mind go blank. They'd never been in a situation where they'd been alone together and he was surprised that Mimi (who was taking a real interest in the menu) suddenly wasn't her usual chatty self. _Am I really that difficult to engage in conversation_? He wondered. His thoughts then turned to Sora and her sudden illness; he decided he should send her a message, just to let wish her well and thank her for sending Mimi to give him the news. He was just about to pull his phone out of his pocket when something slightly sharp hit him right between the eyes. Jumping from the shock of the impact, his head shot up to start at Mimi, who was playfully looking at him with a straw to her lips. The paper covering from the straw now sat in his lap from where Mimi had blown it at him.

"I know what you were thinking," the girl commented. "You were going to send Sora a message. You need to let her rest, she will only feel worse about letting you down if you bother her."

"I guess you're right," Yamato agreed as their burgers arrived.

Silence yet again fell over them as they started to tuck into their meals. Yamato eyed Mimi with interest as she bit into the burger.

"So? Is it as good as a New York burger?" He queried. Mimi slowly chewed her mouthful, savouring the flavours of the burger and toppings, before answering.

"Hmmm...well the meat is very well seasoned and cooked to perfection," she mused, putting on what she felt was a 'food critic' style voice. "But I feel like the toppings are...lacking something."

"Oh really? Well, thank you for your opinion, Miss Tachikawa." Yamato joked. "I am sorry the toppings have not met your high expectations." Mimi giggled and took another bite of her meal. "Hey, remember when we visited you in New York and you took us to that diner that had that giant burger challenge? I still can't believe Taichi ate that whole thing!" His companion nodded and suddenly grabbed her bag and took out her phone. She started scrolling through her photo gallery until she found the picture she was looking for.

"You mean this one?" She showed Yamato the photograph of Taichi with a burger that was almost as big as his head. "That was sooo funny, you remember how Jyou spent the rest of the day expecting him to throw up? He carried that paper bag around with him just in case Taichi needed it!" They both laughed at the memory before the silence reigned for a third time. "So, how is your band doing, Yamato? Do you have a concert soon?" Mimi managed to find a new line of conversation. _I need to make an effort, I told him a barefaced lie and he is paying for dinner_ , she thought.

"No concerts planned at the moment, but we are rehearsing pretty regularly just in case anything comes up," he told her. "You should pop by sometime and watch, it'd be nice to have an audience." Mimi felt her face flush slightly.

"Actually, I _have_ been to a few of your rehearsals. I sometimes sneak into the back of the room and watch – you're always so involved in your music that you never notice." The brunette grinned at him. "You guys are really good, so talented! I like that new song you wrote, by the way." She looked down at her lap, suddenly feeling a bit embarrassed at her admission. She'd just happened to be walking past the auditorium once and had heard them playing so had a quick look. She'd enjoyed watching the rehearsal so much however that she'd started to make a regular thing of it. She now felt she was a pretty big 'Knife of Day' fan, but had never had the chance to tell Yamato until today.

"Thanks, that's nice of you to say, Mimi. Next time you should say hi instead of sneaking around," the blonde really did appreciate her compliments. "I can introduce you to the rest of the band."

"Oh, thanks! I'd like that!" Mimi was pleased that Yamato wasn't annoyed at her snooping. Their plates were now empty and Mimi was a bit disappointed – they had just started to get into a good conversation and now it was time to leave. "So, I guess we should get out of here now." She said half-heartedly, really not wanting to go back to her homework yet.

"Yeah. So where do you want to go next?" Apparently Yamato also wasn't keen to go home just yet, much to Mimi's amazement.

"Errm...how about...the video arcade?" It was the first thing that came to her mind that might be fun.

"Ok, sounds like a plan," her dinner partner responded, and then suddenly leaned in towards her. "Mimi, do you know the kid on the table next to us has been staring at you since we sat down?"

Mimi nodded. She was well aware of the kid but had just ignored him. The boy was a few years younger than her and had been gawping at her in between bites of his burger. It was kind of cute, she considered, but it was just a little infatuation that would pass as soon as she left. She got up from her seat and started to put her jacket on.

"Let's go then," she smiled and she and Yamato started to walk towards the door. After a few steps however she stopped and put a hand on her friend's arm. "Hey, watch this," she smirked. She took a breath and then with a flourish swung her head round to look directly at her admirer, winked and blew him a kiss. Unfortunately at that exact moment the unsuspecting boy had been taking a drink of water, and Mimi's action caused him to spit the mouthful all over his friend! Yamato had to hold his breath and walk really quickly out of the restaurant before he burst into laughter; Mimi followed him out, chuckling to herself merrily.

* * *

The video arcade was as noisy as ever and full of people of all ages having fun. Mimi and Yamato walked in and started looking at all of the different games they could play. Mimi couldn't quite believe that a whole hour had passed and she and Yamato were actually talking, laughing and having _fun_ together. She looked up at him as he was giving tips to a girl who was trying to win a prize from a machine by stacking lights on top of each other. _I can't believe I'm actually having fun with Yamato, I really thought he'd have got fed up of me and gone home by now_ , she thought incredulously to herself.

"Mimi?" The boy's voice broke her out of her reverie with a jolt. "What do you want to have a go at?" She looked around the room and suddenly her eyes fell on something, but not a game.

"Yamato," she stepped a little closer to him and whispered. "I think it's your turn for some unwanted attention – the girl at the prize kiosk is glaring at you." The girl in question had short, spiky brown hair and brown eyes and had a rather murderous look on her face. Yamato immediately cringed as he turned to look at her and quickly turned back to Mimi.

"That's Jun, Daisuke's elder sister...and I think it might be _you_ that she's glaring at – she has a bit of a thing for me..." his cheeks, much to Mimi's amusement, started to colour slightly.

"Haha, really? It must really hurt to be so popular," she said jokingly. "Come on, let's get out of her sight and find a fun game."

They walked around a bit, watching other people play different video games, before Mimi found something she wanted to play.

"Guitar Hero!" She exclaimed excitedly. "Come on, rock star, let's give it a try!"

"Uhh, ok, if you want to be thrashed by me," Yamato said nonchalantly, putting coins into the machine and picking up one of the guitars. "I'll let you pick the song, ok?"

"Great!" Mimi's smile somehow got even wider as she flicked through the song list before selecting one. "Right, this one!" Yamato nodded in approval at her choice, but then almost dropped his guitar as he noticed she picked the difficulty level 'hard'.

"Erm, Mimi, are you _sure_ you want to play on 'hard'?" He questioned. Mimi simply nodded and got ready for the music to begin. Yamato started to play along with the coloured dots on the screen, hitting each one with precision and really getting into the song. After a few moments however he noticed a crowd was starting to form and he felt pride swell in his chest. _Yeah, that's right, it's me – Yamato Ishida, rock legend_. He thought to himself smugly, but then he realised that the crowd were not looking at him at all...

He turned his head to look at Mimi, and got the shock of his life.

Mimi was really going for it, her fingers flying up and down the neck of the guitar controller, jumping up and down to the music, her ponytail bobbing along at the back of her head. She was incredible! The crowd was getting bigger and suddenly Yamato heard booing – the in-game crowd on his side of the screen had started jeering wildly because he had completely stopped playing! He put his guitar down; there was no way he was going to be able to make a comeback and anyway, watching Mimi was much more entertaining! The song came to an end and the real-life audience started to applaud – her final score was 95%, pretty impressive stuff. Mimi suddenly realised what was going on around her and held her guitar aloft before taking a sweeping bow.

"Mimi! Where did you learn to play like that?!" Yamato demanded to know. "I never would have guessed you could do that." Mimi blushed and looked down at the floor bashfully.

"I learned back in New York," she admitted. "Michael was always playing it and used to make fun of me for only being able to play on 'easy' level. So I asked Mom and Dad to buy it for me and I practised – a lot! I would wear headphones and play late into the night. Then one day I went to a party with Michael and he and some guys were playing so I challenged them – and beat them all! After that Michael never made fun of me again." Yamato laughed and ruffled her hair.

"Haha, I never knew you were so competitive Mimi," he chuckled. "Remind me never to play any more games against you."

"Aww, are you scared of getting beaten by a girl?" the brunette said tauntingly, giving him a wink. "Maybe I'll let you win next time if it will make you feel better."

"Ah, thanks Mimi, that's _so_ kind of you," he winked back and walked over to the crane machines. Inside one he'd spotted a plush doll. It was in the form of a girl in a green dress with a big pink flower attached to the top of her head. "Hey, Mimi, if Palmon were human she would look just like that doll, don't you think?" Mimi stood next to him and looked at where he was pointing.

"How cute, a human-Palmon! She would _love_ that...win it for me?" She looked up at him with hopeful brown eyes.

"I can try, but you know these things are rigged, right? I may not be able to..." Yamato felt his words trail off as he found himself lost in her intense gaze and before he knew what he was doing he was feeding all the coins he had left in his pocket into the machine. He tried, and tried, and tried, picking the plushie up, moving it a little way, but it kept slipping out of the claw and dropping back down onto the pile of toys. After his last go he looked at Mimi, hoping she wasn't too disappointed, but she was actually just looking at him happily.

"Thank you for trying, Yamato, I'm sorry you spent so much money though," she reached into her bag and took out her wallet. "Here, let me repay you-"

"No," Yamato put his hand on her wallet to stop her opening it. "I wanted to get you something nice to thank you for your company today, it's been fun." Mimi smiled at him fondly. She was really glad she had got to spend the afternoon with him after all.

"It _has_ been fun, hasn't it?" She agreed. "But I guess I'd better get back to my homework now." She sighed. "I think I'll need to call Koushiro to help me with my mathematics."

"I'd better let you get to it then, good luck," Yamato smiled back at her. "See you at school."

"Bye, Yamato, thanks for the entertaining day!" Mimi waved as she left the arcade. _Well, that was much less painful than I thought it would be!_ She concluded. _I wonder how Sora has got on?_

* * *

The next day Mimi met Sora outside the school, excited to hear all the details of Sora's afternoon out with Taichi.

"Come _on_ Sora! Where did you go? What did you do? Did Taichi pull any moves on you?" Mimi bombarded her best friend with endless questions as they walked into the building, holding onto her arm. "Don't leave out any details, ok?"

"I'll tell you, but first tell me – how did Yamato take me not being there to meet him?" Mimi shrugged and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Oh, he was fine, don't worry about it," she said casually. "Seriously though Sora, _what happened_?!" Sora sighed in defeat and was just about to start relating her story to Mimi when the red-head squeaked and pulled Mimi back around the corner they were just about to go around. The girls put their backs to the wall and sneakily stuck their heads round. Yamato was stood looking out of the window just on the other side, a thoughtful expression on his face, and walking over to him was Taichi, who was grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey Yamato, nice day right?" He remarked cheerfully. "You have a good weekend?"

"Yeah, it was...interesting," Yamato looked sideways at the boy stood next to him. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"I went on a date yesterday afternoon," Taichi announced and Mimi heard Sora groan next to her. "With Sora!" The groan got louder and Mimi turned to see Sora hitting her forehead against the wall.

"Stupid Taichi, I asked him not to say anything to anyone! Oh course he couldn't help but brag..."

Mimi went back to spying, not really wanting to see Yamato's reaction but also as equally drawn in.

"Is that so?" He murmured, going back to staring out of the window. "Well I hope you both enjoyed yourselves."

"I know I did, and I hope Sora did too," Taichi carried on merrily. "So how about you? What did you get upto?"

Yamato turned to look at him.

"As it turns out I also had a date yesterday," he explained, causing Sora to let out another groan.

"Wait for it, he's going to tell him that I called it off..." she uttered under her breath.

"Oh yeah? How was that?" Taichi queried, looking surprised that Yamato would actually even consider spending time with another girl.

"It was good; in fact, I've decided that when I see her today I'm going to ask her if she wants to go out again sometime." He turned back to the window and Mimi felt her cheeks start to burn as she saw the big smile on his face.

Then she noticed something else.

Yamato had his hands behind his back, and in them he held something.

A plushie doll in a green dress with a pink flower on top of her head...

"Mimi..." Sora had apparently stopped her self-punishment and was now gripping Mimi's arm quite intently. Mimi turned to face her, her face the reddest it had ever been and her brain feeling like mush. Sora was looking at her with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I think it's _you_ who needs to be not leaving out any of the details!"

 **A.N. – Well there you have it! Pretty sappy, right? I will let you decide how many attempts it took Yamato to get that plushie out of the machine ;) I also left the song played on Guitar Hero ambiguous so you can imagine whatever one you want. Any reviews are gratefully appreciated ^_^**


	2. Coming to Terms

**A.N. - Sooo...I know I said that this was a one-shot...well, turns out the fic did _not_ want to let me go! So we have a new title (I wish I could think of something better though!) and here is the next instalment! Hope you enjoy – please let me know if you do (or don't, I guess!)!  
**

 **2 – Coming to Terms**

Being the centre of attention was generally something Mimi didn't mind; she liked to be admired and showered with compliments and most of the time she thrived off it. However, the attention she had been getting lately was _not_ the kind that made her feel good about herself.

" _Have you heard? Tachikawa is dating Ishida!"_

" _I heard that she stole him from Takenouchi – her best friend!"_

" _No, no, my friend told me that Takenouchi started dating Yagami – so Ishida started dating Tachikawa as a rebound!"_

" _What, dating Takenouchi's best friend as revenge? That's pretty harsh on Tachikawa..."_

The gossip had been going on ever since Yamato had given her that doll. Of course, as Mimi had expected of Yamato, he had tried his best to present her with his gift in private to save his embarrassment, but of course _Taichi_ had to go and tell Sora in front of the entire homeroom all about the blonde boy's plans and a crowd had soon tracked them down to spectate. After all, who would believe that the aloof Ishida Yamato, of all people, would be giving the chirpy Tachikawa Mimi a doll, of all things?! Mimi had felt sure that Yamato would abandon his plan upon realising what Taichi had done; however, to his credit, he had gone ahead with it, albeit not in the slightly-awkward-but-ultimately-romantic way Mimi had spent the day envisioning.

"Hey, Mimi, I...errrrr...got this for you..." he'd mumbled and handed the doll over to her rather indifferently (but typically Yamato). After she had expressed her joy and gratitude at his gift he had continued with: "So, I wondered if you wanted to maybe hang out again sometime?"

Mimi could have sworn she'd heard their not-so-inconspicuous audience hold their collective breaths as they'd waited for her to say yes.

And so, Mimi and Yamato had become the talking point of the school.

* * *

The events leading up to where they were now had been so unexpected that Mimi still couldn't quite believe it was happening. Previously, whenever she'd seen him in the hallway at school or with everyone else outside of school hours, she'd not thought anything of it. It was just Yamato, the guy she had shared a lot of crazy experiences with and was part of her circle of friends. Now when she saw him she felt her throat dry up and her heart race; she suddenly found herself wondering how she was supposed to act around him, which was so very unlike her. She'd obviously noticed how good-looking he'd got as he'd got older, but she had now lost track of how many times she'd found herself staring at him when they were together, not quite believing that someone _so_ handsome would be interested in her. It wasn't just about his appearance, however; although he wasn't the chattiest person in the world he always had something interesting to say and he really made her think about things she'd never considered before, and when he wasn't being deep and meaningful he actually had quite a brilliant sense of humour and he never failed to make her laugh. She had hoped the gossips would lose interest in the situation after a few days, so she could come to terms with this huge change in her life and even begin to enjoy it. When that hadn't happened, she thought maybe after a couple of dates...but the whispering was still unrelentless. She felt even more awkward around Yamato knowing that all eyes and ears were on them and in turn she also felt bad for him, knowing he would be hating being the subject of everyone's conversations. The worst thing of all, however, was that she was starting to listen to what was being said, and doubts were starting to grow in her already confused mind.

"You don't think I somehow stole Yamato away from you, do you?" Mimi decided to ask Sora over lunch, after noticing a table of girls glancing in their direction. Sora looked up from her meal and blinked in surprise at her friend.

"What? No, don't be silly, Mimi," she exclaimed. "How could you have stolen him? We weren't to know what was going to happen that day, it was all left to fate. It just so happened that Yamato was the one to turn up late and it now it happens that you and he are dating. I'm happy for you both!" She put her chopsticks down and tilted her head as she gazed at Mimi with concern. "You _can't_ listen to the gossipmongers; if you do, you and Yamato are doomed to fail before you even begin." Mimi sighed, pushed her lunch away and rested her head on her arms on the table.

"I'm trying, Sora, I am really am," she groaned. "And I think you're right about being 'doomed to fail' – this morning I saw Yamato in the hallway and I turned and ran before he could see me! I felt terrible as soon as I did it, but I just didn't want the embarrassment of everyone watching us even just have a conversation about our plans for the day! I can feel him squirm every time we meet in school."

"You can't just avoid Yamato to save his blushes – that's not the way to build a relationship with him," Mimi cringed at Sora's casual use of the 'r' word. "Have you actually spoken to him about it?"

"No, when we're together we talk about anything _but_ that, I don't want to make him uncomfortable."

"Mimi, you're going to have to speak about things that make him or even you uncomfortable at some time," her friend pointed out. "So, take the plunge and speak to him about it. You need to show everyone that their idle chit-chat isn't getting to either of you."

"As usual, you make perfect sense, Sora," Mimi sat up again. "I guess I will have to confront this after all, since it seems no one else around here is doing anything to create a new controversy." Sora smiled at her sweetly and started to eat her lunch again.

"Oh actually Mimi, speaking of talking to people, how are things with Koushiro?" She suddenly asked, her chopsticks hovering in front of her mouth. Mimi let out an even louder sigh and threw her head back, her arms hanging down by her sides.

"Not good, he's barely said a word to me since that day..."

 _Mimi had been sat in the homeroom, her chin resting on her desk. In front of her sat the plushie doll and she stared at it intently, wishing it could come alive and explain exactly what was going on with Yamato._

" _So that's the doll they're all talking about?" Koushiro's quiet voice had broken her reverie and she had simply nodded, not moving her chin off the desk or her eyes off the doll. "I see...I didn't know you and Yamato were so close."_

" _Neither did I," she murmured, finally moving to sit back and look at him. The look in his eyes was quite plain to see and Mimi was taken aback by it._

 _He was eyeing the doll almost as closely as Mimi had been; his hands were clenched into fists and his whole body was tense._

" _Koushiro? Are you ok?" She queried and his gaze immediately switched to her._

" _Yes, of course, I'm fine," he mumbled, before quickly turning and walking away._

 _She could have sworn there were tears in his eyes..._

"I know I always teased him about him liking me, but I guess I didn't see how deep those feelings were," Mimi was back to resting her head in her arms. "I miss speaking to him; I've always considered him one of my closer friends and now he says 'good morning' and 'yes' and 'no' but that's all I get." Sora leant over the table and patted her on the top of her head.

"It will be hard for him, but if he sees you and Yamato are serious about each other then I'm sure he'll come around and support you both," Sora advised as she packed up her bag. "I have to go now, I'm meeting Taichi before next class." Mimi looked up at her and grinned, her mood suddenly brightening at the thought of her best friend and her beau.

"Well at least one of us has their love-life going on the right track," she winked and Sora's cheeks coloured slightly. The redhead turned to leave the table but then stopped again as she thought about something else.

"By the way, Mimi, I hope you aren't listening to what people are saying about Yamato's intentions," she commented. Mimi looked at her as she threw her bag over her shoulder.

"You mean that he's just using me as a rebound?" Sora nodded.

"Trust me – he's not. I've seen how he is when you're not around." Mimi's curiosity was piqued by Sora's comments.

"Oh? And how is that?"

"When he's waiting for you, he's...fidgety. He's constantly looking around for you, getting anxious and excited; and then when you appear – his eyes light up and I've never seen him _smile_ so much!" Sora grinned. It was Mimi's turn to blush.

"That's funny," she replied. "That's exactly what Taichi's like when _you're_ not around." Amused at the similarities in their suitors' behaviour, the girls laughed and went their separate ways.

* * *

The only time Yamato liked being the centre of attention was when he was on stage, performing for his band's fans. Gossip was something he had no time for and he was starting to wonder what he had got himself into with dating Mimi. He had noticed it just as much as she had but unlike her he had managed to ignore everything that was being said. He had never expected to feel how he did about the girl but now he did and he wasn't going to let a bunch of idiot gossipmongers get under his skin. It was annoying that people were more interested in making up stories about him and Mimi rather than talk about his band's upcoming concert.

He was stood tuning his guitar, ready for rehearsal with Knife of Day, but his mind was on Mimi, as it seemed to be a lot these days. _That_ afternoon had really come as a shock to him, just as it had Mimi. He'd gone along expecting to meet up with Sora and had instead ended up spending it with Mimi and realising he actually had some feelings for her; it was bizarre. When Mimi had told him Sora couldn't make it because she was ill he could have easily just accepted it and left, but he didn't and he'd invited her to eat with him before he'd properly considered what he was doing. There was just something about the way she'd looked at him, the nervousness in her eyes, the fact that she'd lied to him...

Yep, he'd known she was lying for Sora; he hadn't known why at the time but he did know that Mimi wouldn't lie to anyone unless it was for a good reason, and she would do anything for her best friend. And so he had spent that afternoon with her and the more time he spent with her the more he realised how _happy_ he'd felt. Her cheerfulness was just so infectious and her playful ways (from teasing the boy in the burger boy to her rocking out in the video arcade) had amused him more than he'd ever thought possible; and of course, he and nearly every other male in the school had noticed how attractive she was (plus she wasn't exactly shy about pointing it out, albeit facetiously). As soon as they'd parted ways after his failed attempts at winning the doll from the crane machine he'd known he wanted to spend more time with her, to get to know her better, to maybe be more than just her friend and he'd known he _needed_ to get that plushie. He had called Takeru and asked him to meet him with as much cash as he could get together. Takeru had asked him a few times if he was feeling ok as he had played the machine over and over, but all Yamato could see was Mimi's sweet smile as she'd thanked him for trying.

The sound of footsteps behind him disturbed his thoughts and he looked up from his guitar, expecting to see one of his bandmates. He was surprised to see Koushiro standing in front of him.

"Hello, Yamato," the red-haired boy greeted him and Yamato noted the rather serious tone in his voice.

"Oh, hi Koushiro," he greeted him back, placing his guitar on the stand. He realised he hadn't seen the boy for a few days; usually they bumped into each other around school and occasionally ate lunch together. In fact, now he thought about it, he hadn't seen him since he'd asked Mimi for a second date...Yamato suddenly felt his stomach flip. He'd not even thought about Koushiro's quite obvious feelings for the girl. "Something tells me you're not here for the rehearsal..." He tried to sound light-hearted but his words came out rather awkwardly.

"No, I'm here to ask you a question," the shorter boy looked him right in the eye as he spoke. "About Mimi."

"Ok, fire away," Yamato put his arms out, ready for whatever the boy was going to hit him with.

"The things going around school, about you using Mimi to get back at Sora, they're not true, are they? You're not going to hurt her, are you?" Koushiro was deadly serious, and Yamato couldn't help but feel impressed at the boy's chivalry.

"Wow, Koushiro...you _really_ care about her, don't you?" He breathed out in amazement. The redhead nodded, a tinge of sadness in his eyes.

"I do, but I know she doesn't feel the same way," he admitted. "But if she wants to be with you, and you are going to treat her with the respect and decency she deserves, then I'll be happy for you both." Yamato gazed at him, his blue eyes reflecting the same solemnity as Koushiro's dark ones had.

"Koushiro...I promise I am _not_ going to hurt Mimi. What I'm feeling for her has nothing to do with my past with Sora; before the other week I honestly never imagined seeing her as more than a good friend, but suddenly I have these feelings for her that I'm still trying to get to grips with. All I know is that I really like being with her and want to spend as much time with her as possible, getting to know everything about her, and I really hope she feels the same way about me. So please don't listen to the gossipers, they're just stupid kids." Koushiro closed his eyes, taking in Yamato's words, then nodded as his lips curled into a slight smile.

"Good," he opened his eyes again. "Then I wish you both all the best. However..." he glared in a way Yamato had never seen before and hoped never to see again. "Should you _ever_ break her heart I...I...will put a virus on your computer so severe that your computer will be destroyed beyond repair!" Yamato knew that was a threat _not_ to take lightly.

"You have my word!" He exclaimed, bowing to the boy respectfully as Koushiro took his leave.

* * *

The rehearsal went really well and Yamato was happy with the progress that was being made by the band for their concert.

"Great work, guys," he praised the other members of Knife of Day as they finished their last song.

"WOOOOO!" The sound of a feminine voice cheering filled the room and Yamato chuckled as soon as he heard it.

"Your Number One Fan is here then," Shinji teased as he started to pack away his drumkit. "I'd love to know your secret, Ishida, getting a cutie like that." He looked up admiringly as Mimi skipped towards the stage and Yamato grabbed her hand to pull her up.

"You guys are so awesome!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I can't wait for the show!"

"Did you like my drum solo, Mimi?" Shinji walked over to the couple and leaned on Yamato's shoulder casually.

"Oh yes, it was pretty impressive, Shinji," the brunette girl enthused.

"Maybe I can teach you how to drum sometime," the drummer gave her his best charming smile and that was enough for Yamato. The blonde calmed stepped to one side, causing Shinji to lose his balance and stumble. Mimi giggled and shook her head.

"Sorry, Shinji, I'll leave the drumming to you," she told him in her sweetest tone. "Although maybe I can get some guitar lessons sometime..." she winked at Yamato, who felt his face heat up at her flirtiness. He quickly went to put his guitar in his case, hoping his fellow band members didn't notice his bashfulness. Unfortunately they were already sniggering and elbowing each other childishly.

"Do you want me to walk you home, Mimi?" He asked her. Mimi's heart was pounding as she looked at him, remembering her earlier conversation with Sora.

"Yes please, Yama," she replied.

"Did she just call him _Yama_?!" Ryou spluttered in disbelief.

"Yeah, she did," Shinji laughed.

"Whatever," Yamato rolled his eyes at his dumb friends as he jumped off the stage before helping Mimi down. "See you idiots on Friday."

" _Byyyyeeee, Yamaaaa_!" The other boys hollered after him in their girliest voices.

* * *

"Your friends are so funny," Mimi chortled as they left the school.

"I'll let them know you said that, they'll be amazed that someone thinks they are." Yamato muttered, gripping his guitar bag strap tightly with both his hands, imagining it was Shinji's neck. They walked for a short while in a comfortable silence, and Mimi found herself yet again fixated on her companion's face. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, if anything, and she wished she could. If she could just get a small hint of what he was feeling...

Yamato suddenly noticed that the rhythm of Mimi's footsteps had started to slow and he turned to look at her. Blue eyes immediately met golden-brown and he stopped dead in his tracks. Her eyes were so bright and bore deeply into his own that he almost forgot to breathe.

"Yama...what do you think about what people have been saying at school?" She decided to just come out with it; there was no point in trying to avoid the question anymore.

"I think it's just a load of bored kids with nothing better to do than make up stupid stories about things they know nothing about," he told her. "I pay no attention to that kind of thing, and I hope you aren't either." Mimi looked away from him, feeling a little guilty.

"I couldn't help it, Yamato; they were saying some pretty bad things," she admitted, but then looked back at him, again directly into his eyes. "So, you and me – this is really happening? It's not just some weird revenge thing or something?" Yamato shook his head and, without thinking, gently took hold of her hands.

"I'm in if you are," he smiled at her.

Her response required no words.

Mimi raised herself up on her tip-toes and lightly pressed her lips against his.

Yamato was fixed to the spot in shock at the contact as Mimi threw him her biggest smile and skipped away.

"Hey, Yama, you should stay for dinner – dad is away on business and mom _loves_ having guests to feed!" She called out to him over her shoulder.

"Ehh – what?!" Yamato shook himself out of his daze as Mimi's words filtered through his astounded mind. "Okay, but if your mom starts mixing sweet and savoury I'm out!"

* * *

The very next day a new scandal erupted at the school when it was discovered one of the third years was dating an older man; Yamato and Mimi were never more thankful to become yesterday's news.


	3. Play Date

**A.N. Hi again! Firstly, I want to thank the reviewers for their kind comments, I'm so glad you have been enjoying this! I am so excited for Ketsui now, although I have to keep telling myself not to get my hopes up for any Mimato moments :(**

 **I just wanted to say how amazed I am that after all these years the Mimato community appears to be so alive and well (despite me saying in the notes for the first chapter that we were an endangered species!)! I have recently been looking through some really impressive fanart and it makes me wish I could draw too! Oh well, I guess I will just have to continue contributing with my writing :)**

 **So, on to chapter 3. I will apologise in advance for this one, I just wanted to write something a bit silly and I wanted to include some of the actual stars of the show – the Digimon! I never include them in my fics and thought it might be a nice change. As always, let me know what you think!**

 ***A. M.***

 **3 – Play Date**

Palmon had been incessant from the moment she'd woken up. Mimi's parents were out for the whole day at some event for Keisuke's company and so Mimi had taken the opportunity to invite Yamato and Gabumon over to spend some time with them. However Mimi was starting to wonder who was looking forward to the day more – her, or her Digimon.

"Are Gabumon and Yamato on their way?" Palmon asked for what felt like the hundredth time that morning.

"Yes, Palmon, they should be here any minute. Why do you keep asking?" Mimi was stood at her mirror, brushing her hair as they spoke.

"I'm excited! I love spending time with my friends," Palmon enthused. "It's just a shame the others can't come too; why can't they, Mimi?" Mimi put her hair brush down and smiled.

"I told you, Palmon; Yamato and I are boyfriend and girlfriend now – that means sometimes we just want to spend time with each other without the others around."

"I know...but it still would have been fun." Her Digimon sighed with regret in her tone, however her mood was quickly brightened at the sound of the doorbell. "They're here!"

"Yep, they certainly are," Mimi grinned, checked her appearance once again in the mirror and ran for the door with Palmon close behind.

* * *

"Good morning, Mi-" Yamato's greeting was cut short as the girl immediately threw her arms around his neck and pressed her lips against his so eagerly it was almost as if she hadn't seen him in a long time, not just yesterday. The blonde reciprocated the kiss and placed his hands on her waist, enjoying the sweet taste of her lips and the scent of her perfume. They stood on the doorstep like this for a while, until Mimi suddenly noticed something wrapped around her leg. Pulling away from her boyfriend, she looked down and laughed as she found that it was Gabumon cuddling her.

"Woah, Palmon!" Yamato exclaimed as he realised Mimi's Digimon companion was doing the exact same thing to him.

Gabumon let go of Mimi's leg and looked up at her. "It looked like you were both enjoying hugging each other so we thought we would join in too." The brunette smiled, dropped down to her knees, wrapped her arms around the Digimon and squeezed him tightly.

"Ahhh, I love hugs, and you are _so_ cuddly, Gabumon!" She told him. "In fact I think I like hugging you more than Yama." She looked up at Yamato whilst still holding onto Gabumon and winked, however Yamato was preoccupied with the task of detaching Palmon from himself. "Ha ha, you can let go now, Palmon. Come on in you two, I guess we can't spend all day on the doorstep." Palmon let go of the boy's leg and beamed as she walked into the house with Gabumon.

"Hey, Gabumon, I've been looking forward to today so much, we're going to have so much fun!"

"Me too, Palmon, but I do wish the others were coming too."

"That's what I said too!" Mimi shook her head in defeat at the conversation and Yamato put his arm around her shoulders and smirked.

"I've tried explaining why we want to be alone to Gabumon, I think he _kinda_ gets it, but I guess they're just used to being around all the other Digimon all the time." Mimi nodded in agreement.

"Same with Palmon," she noted the bag that the boy had over his shoulder. "Oh is that the food for later? You can put it in the fridge; it's so sweet of you to offer to cook."

"It's no problem," Yamato replied as he walked into the kitchen. He stood in front of the fridge and regarded the pieces of paper that covered the appliance's door. Each one had a different colourful scrawl on it. "Hmmm...going for some kind of modern-art thing here, Mimi?" He joked as he put his supplies away.

"Ha, funny, they're Palmon's," Mimi leaned against the work surface and watched him as he went back to examining the artwork. "Mom can't get enough of them; it's like I've got a little sister. They're always doing things together – art, cooking...I even found mom reading her a bedtime story the other day."

"Cute," Yamato remarked. "It's nice that your mom gets on with Palmon so well." Mimi smiled as she considered her mother's maternal treatment of her Digimon.

"It is, isn't it? I think mom likes the company when I'm at school and dad's at work. Dad did suggest we get a dog or something when we moved back but happily Palmon returned to us before then." They walked into the lounge and found the two Digimon sat at the table. A pile of white and coloured paper and an array of crayons, felt-tip pens, paints, glue, glitter and other art supplies was spread out in front of them. "Well, it didn't take you two long to decide on an activity!" Mimi commented as Palmon picked up a piece of paper.

"I'm going to make Satoe-Mama another drawing for the fridge!" She announced cheerfully.

"Ooh, can I do that too?" Gabumon asked, sniffing at a pot of paint curiously.

"You should make a picture for Yamato's fridge," Palmon suggested. Satisfied that the pair were sufficiently occupied, Mimi looked up at Yamato with her head tilted to one side.

"So, Yama, what do _you_ want to do?" She asked in her cutest tone, batting her eyelashes at her boyfriend. Yamato stood for a moment, pretending to be deep in thought, before stepping close to her and placing his hands on her shoulders, a wicked smile playing on his face.

"I think you know _exactly_ what I want to do, Mimi, since I told you all about it last night," he told her in a very low tone as he started to push her backwards, towards her bedroom.

"I know you did, but I just wanted to make sure that it was what you _really_ wanted," she responded as she reached out to hold onto his jacket, her eyes locking with his as she bit her bottom lip coyly. He nodded in response, his gaze never leaving hers. "Well, I hope you know what you're letting yourself into, I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Oh, I know, and I wouldn't want you to," Yamato let go of her as they entered her room and he immediately walked over to pick up her Guitar Hero controller. "I am going to defeat you this time, Tachikawa!"

"Hmm, we'll see about that, Ishida." Mimi winked cheekily as she started up the console.

* * *

They had decided to play best of five. The score by the fifth song was tied two-all and Mimi had managed a respectable 85% on the final song of the competition. Yamato felt he was definitely in with a chance to get his revenge for the incident in the video arcade during their improptu first date and Mimi was quietly impressed with the fact that, three quarters of the way through his final turn, Yamato was yet to miss a note. _He could get 100%_! She thought, quietly watching his fingers press the buttons on the controller confidently. She took the opportunity to admire the handsome boy stood in her room; the way he flicked his blonde locks out of his sky-blue eyes, the look of determination and concentration on his face that she usually only saw when he was playing his bass with Knife of Day. She felt butterflies in her stomach as she reminded herself yet again that _this_ boy was _her_ boyfriend. No matter how distant and cool he seemed with other people in his life, when he was with her he was usually sweet and kind. However, as their relationship was still only a month old, she was still getting used to the times when his thoughts were preoccupied with darker things, and she was learning that sometimes even she couldn't cheer him up and he just needed to be given his space. There were some topics of conversation she still didn't dare to bring up with him, such as his parents and their separation. She hoped that one day she would be able to find a way to speak to him about things like that and to get past those barriers that he still had up around his heart. Suddenly feeling emotional thinking about his deeper side, Mimi unthinkingly stood up and wrapped her arms around him from behind, resting her head against his back, just wanting to be close to him and completely forgetting that he was on the verge of Guitar Hero perfection. Yamato jolted at the sudden contact and missed, of all things, the final note of the song.

"Ah, no!" He exclaimed and Mimi gasped as she realised what she'd done.

"I'm sorry!" She apologised. "I just..." She stepped away from him and lowered her head. Yamato put down the controller and looked at her curiously.

"You just what?" He asked her gently, sensing that she had something on her mind.

"I...I'm just really happy," she started to explain and raised her face again, her golden-brown eyes shining. "I'm happy that we've been given this opportunity to get to know each other better. I know it's not like we were complete strangers before we started dating, but personally I always felt like you were the one I didn't connect with as strongly as I did with the others. I guess that's how you have always been though – more private with certain parts of yourself." She wrinkled her nose as she felt suddenly felt conscious of what she was saying. "I hope I don't sound ridiculous."

"No, not at all, Mimi," he replied, putting his arms around her shoulders. "I'm happy too."

"Really?"

"Very."

"Even though I just ruined your perfect game?"

"I still beat you, didn't I?" He chuckled and pressed his nose against hers before pulling her even closer for a kiss. The kiss intensified quickly and before either of them knew it they were falling onto Mimi's bed, lost in the moment of being alone with each other.

 _SMASSHH!_

"Palmon!"

"Gabumon!"

The couple's passionate moment was short-lived as the sound of shattering glass brought them back to reality. Their exclamations had happened in perfect synchronicity and they jumped off the bed and ran out of the bedroom to discover the source of the noise.

"What's going on?!" Mimi gasped as they entered the kitchen. Palmon was stood near to a cupboard, looking guilty. She was dressed in a flowery blouse that dragged along the floor behind her and a frilly apron that Satoe had made especially for her. Lipstick and blusher adorned her face beneath the layer of flour that covered her from head to toe. The white powder was all over the top of the work surface where the jar it had been stored in had smashed, as well as all over Palmon and the kitchen floor. Gabumon was stood near to the kitchen sink, dressed in a far-too-long white shirt and a clumsily knotted tie.

"We were playing," Gabumon confessed remorsefully. "Palmon thought we could bake a cake like she does with Satoe-Mama but we couldn't reach the flour. She tried to use her vines but the jar slipped and broke."

"I'm sorry," Palmon apologised, looking close to tears. "We just thought it would be fun." Mimi sighed and shook her head, suddenly wondering if this is what it was like to be a parent.

"Never mind, I'll just give mom some money out of my allowance to pay for it," she said. "Let's get you cleaned up. Yamato, do you mind sweeping up the mess?"

"No problem. How about we all cook dinner together afterwards – how does that sound?"

"That sounds good Yamato," Gabumon said enthusiastically.

"Yeah!" Palmon agreed as Mimi started to remove the items of clothing from the Digimon.

"Thank goodness it was only flour – you _would_ decide to dress up in one of mom's favourite blouses, wouldn't you?" She commented.

"It was pretty, I thought I would look nice in it like Satoe-Mama does!" Palmon declared as Mimi carried her off to the bathroom.

"Palmon has been _so_ bossy all day," Gabumon complained, pulling the tie over his head as Yamato started clearing up the broken glass and flour. "Girls are too much work for me. Is Mimi bossy with you, Yamato?" The blonde boy stopped his work and looked down at his Digimon friend.

"Not at all, Gabumon, she's great," he replied. "However since she's a girl I have no doubt she will be at some point in the future."

"Well she's got you cleaning, that seems pretty bossy to me." Gabumon said matter-of-factly.

* * *

The preparation, cooking and eating of dinner had passed without incident. Mimi and Yamato had settled Palmon and Gabumon in front of the television to watch an episode of a cartoon all of the Digimon had got addicted to since coming from the Digital World, whilst they did the dishes. Yamato was watching the sun set from the kitchen window as he washed up, passing the dishes to Mimi for drying.

"It'll be dark soon," he remarked. "What time are you expecting your parents home?"

"I dunno, these corporate events can go on for hours," Mimi answered as she put the plates away. "Why do you ask? Are you thinking of going home?"

"I was considering it, will you and Palmon be ok by yourselves until they got back?" Yamato queried as he dried his hands. Mimi's first instinct was to say yes, of course she and Palmon would be ok, they'd survived worse than being home alone before now, after all. However she'd noticed a slight tone of reluctance in his voice when he'd commented about it getting dark and, to be completely honest, Mimi did not want Yamato to leave yet anyway. Every moment she spent with him was precious to her.

"Well, this house _can_ be pretty scary at night when you're by yourself, and Palmon will probably be asleep soon after spending all day playing with Gabumon," she responded softly, walking over to her boyfriend and putting her arms around his midriff. "I'd be really _really_ lonely." Yamato smiled down at the girl and put his arms around her too.

"In which case we'll stay a little longer and protect you, my lady."

"Oh, my knight in shining armour!" Mimi reached up to hold his face and kiss him. "Palmon and I were going to watch a movie, I even got popcorn. I'm afraid it's a silly romantic comedy thing that you'll probably hate, but if it's too unbearable for you I'm sure we can find something else to watch."

"That's ok, I'm sure I'll survive; just as long as next time I get to choose the movie."

"Deal!" Planting one last kiss on his lips, Mimi moved to grab a big bowl and the popcorn, whilst Yamato simply stood and admired his beautiful girlfriend, glad that he didn't have to leave her just yet.

* * *

"Home at last!" Satoe breathed a sigh of relief as she took off her shoes, which had grown uncomfortable in the last few hours of the event. She was surprised to find that there were still lights on in the house, as it was well past midnight and Mimi was usually fast asleep by now. "Mimi? Are you still awake?" She tip-toed into the lounge as she noticed how quiet it was – perhaps her daughter had fallen asleep on the couch.

She wasn't wrong; but she was also _not_ expecting the scene she walked into.

Palmon and Gabumon were on the floor in front of the couch, their heads resting together as they slept.

Mimi was lying on her side on the couch, also fast asleep. Behind her lay Yamato, one arm tucked under the pillow they were sharing and the other arm draped over his girlfriend, her hand entwined with his.

Satoe's eyes softened as she clutched her hands to her chest.

"How adorable," she cooed softly as Keisuke entered the room. His eyebrows raised with surprise as he saw what his wife was looking at.

"What the-!" He exclaimed in disbelief; he took one step towards the couch, intending to wake the couple and question the boy who was lying _far_ too close to his beloved daughter, when Satoe placed a hand on his chest and shook her head.

"Leave them be," she whispered, and went to the spare room to get two blankets. One she draped over Palmon and Gabumon and the second over Mimi and Yamato, stooping to give her daughter a tender kiss on her forehead. She then walked back over to her husband, placed her hands on his chest and looked into his eyes. "Don't you remember _your_ first childhood sweetheart?" Keisuke gazed at his wife adoringly as he relented.

"Of course I do, and she's still as beautiful as the first time I saw her across the homeroom." He told her and Satoe blushed. He gave her a soft kiss on the lips as they left the slumbering foursome to their dreams.

 **A.N. So that's that! I don't think it's anywhere near my best work but it was fun to write! Please be kind and leave a review!**


	4. Giant Proclamations Are All Very Well

**4 – Giant Proclamations Are All Very Well...**

After five wonderful months it seemed Mimi's biggest fear had become reality - Yamato was losing interest.

It was the only explanation she could reasonably come up with. One moment they had been fine; constantly in each other's company, if not in person then on the end of the phone or computer screen, like any normal couple of their ages – thrilled by every little touch or kiss, unable to concentrate on anything else other than each other and just happy. There had been the odd argument, usually over the silliest of things, but they were always quickly made up with gushing apologies and more kisses. He had of course always been fairly reserved with her in public – he wasn't the type for public displays of affection (apart from one time at school when another boy had been making her uncomfortable by getting a little too friendly with her, so Yamato had marched over and kissed her) but when they were alone he'd always been much more relaxed and open with his feelings for her. All of a sudden however (Mimi could have sworn this had happened literally overnight) Yamato had distanced himself. When they were together he seemed distracted; excuses were made not to spend time with her; the text messages and emails were more abrupt and Mimi had felt her heart sink.

She had expected it, he _was_ male, after all. During her time in America she had had a few older girl-friends and had sat with them in the school cafeteria on a number of occasions, comforting the latest one to have her heart broken by a guy who had been super-keen one moment then completely aloof the next. She had really, really hoped it wouldn't be like this with Yamato – she thought the fact that they had been friends before their relationship had blossomed would have counted for something and he'd always seemed the type that would be honest with her.

It was the height of the summer break and she had had so many plans for them. Some of them they had accomplished before everything had changed but today was one of the days she'd really looked forward to. A few local musicians had got together to organise a festival in the park and Knife of Day had been invited to play a set at the concert. It was the first big concert they'd played since Mimi and Yamato had become a couple and the thought of being able to say that was _her_ boyfriend on stage had filled her heart with pride. But now she wasn't sure she'd be able to say that.

She was lying on her back in the grass of the very park the concert was due to take place in that evening. Knife of Day were running through their set and she could hear them clearly from her location. She let out a loud sigh as she recognised the song – it was called 'Unexpected', and Yamato had eventually admitted (in the lowest voice and with the reddest face imaginable) that he'd written it about her. It hurt her to hear it. She rolled onto her side and brought her knees up towards her chest as she felt her lower lip start to tremble as she heard Yamato's smooth voice singing the lyrics she knew so well. It was as if he were taunting her. Her vision blurred as tears filled her eyes and she curled herself up even tighter as she felt the agony in her broken heart.

"See? I just don't know what's wrong with her, she won't tell me. I thought we were going to see Yamato play but then she just stopped and sat down!" Palmon's voice suddenly distracted Mimi from the music and she opened her eyes to find a pair of male, short-clad legs stood in front of her. She looked up, her eyelashes and cheeks damp from crying, to gaze at Takeru, who was looking down at her with concern on his face. Palmon was stood next to him looking upset in one of her usual outlandish outfits – this time a floppy sunhat was teamed with a brightly coloured dress that Satoe had made especially for her.

"Hey," Takeru said gently as he dropped down to sit in front of Mimi, causing her to immediately sit up and wipe her face. "What's wrong? I thought you were taking Palmon to the rehearsal?" That had been the plan – as the group had decided it probably wasn't the best idea to take the Digimon along to the concert that night Mimi had agreed to sneak Palmon in to watch the rehearsal along with Gabumon.

"I know, I was going to, but I couldn't face it," she admitted and immediately felt her lower lip go again. "I just don't know what's going on anymore!" She sobbed freely and the younger boy immediately looked around to check no one was staring at the scene. Satisfied no one was interested in them, he moved around to her side and put a comforting arm around her, allowing her to lean into him and continue to cry.

"What do you mean? Is it Yamato? What did he do?"

"I don't think he wants us to be together anymore." She sniffled, pulling a tissue from her pocket to dab her eyes. "He's barely speaking to me. For example, I sent him a message to let him know we were on our way and usually he'd send something like 'oh great, I can't wait to see you' but all I got back was 'ok'! Just one word! And yesterday I tried to call him and he just cut the call off. He's _never_ done that to me before and he didn't even call me back later to explain. I would have understood if he'd been in the middle of something." Takeru frowned at the girl's explanation.

"That's weird," he remarked. "I know he's been a bit worked up about this concert, so maybe it's just that? You should ask him – it's not like you to hide away from a problem anyway." He knew her too well.

"I know but to be honest I'm scared of what he might say," she confessed. "I really care about him, Takeru, in fact I think-" Takeru held his hand up to stop her mid-sentence, grinning as he saw the colour in her cheeks deepen.

"I know what you're going to say, Mimi," he said. "But it's my brother you need to be saying that to." She let out a sigh and let her head drop forward.

"But I don't think he feels the same about me…"

"Well you won't know unless you speak to him, will you?" She turned her head to gaze at her companion and met his soft blue eyes. "Maybe after the concert tonight would be best? He'll be less stressed and I think you'll discover it's all been a big misunderstanding."

"Really?" her voice was full of hope and as he nodded confidently at her she lunged forward to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you." It was his turn to blush.

"You don't need to thank me, I just know how my brother is," he stood up and brushed the grass off the back of his shorts. "Speaking of whom, I'm going to go and see him now. I'll see you tonight."

"Sure," she smiled up at him, her damp eyelashes glistening in the sun.

Feeling much more like herself after the boy's pep talk, she turned to her Digimon companion, who was sitting nearby chatting to Patamon. "Oh hi Patamon, I'm sorry I didn't notice you! Palmon, do you want to go look at what else is happening down at the festival? I'll bet there are some games we can play and to say sorry for not taking you to the rehearsal I'll buy you something good to eat – how about it?" Palmon's eyes lit up.

"Sounds great, Mimi!" she said enthusiastically.

"Hey Takeru, I want something good to eat too!" Patamon exclaimed as he settled himself in Takeru's arms.

"Ok, ok, we'll get something too."

"Yeah!"

* * *

"You are an idiot." Yamato had not expected such a blunt greeting from his little brother and he flinched in surprise at the curt remark.

"Nice to see you too," he fired back as he put down the guitar he had been tuning. "What was that comment in aid of?"

"Mimi."

"Oh!" Yamato immediately started looking around at the sound of his girlfriend's name. "Is she here? I've been looking everywhere for her, she said she and Palmon were on their way but then I didn't see her arrive." Takeru peered at the older boy carefully and relaxed inwardly as he saw the anxious look on his face. He had been right; Mimi had clearly got the wrong end of the stick and Yamato's feelings had definitely _not_ changed.

"She changed her mind and didn't come. She seems to have got it in her head that you don't want to be in a relationship anymore."

Yamato's jaw dropped.

" _What_?!" he exclaimed, dropping back to sit on a chair behind him, unable to comprehend what his brother had just told him. "Why on earth would she think that?" Takeru leaned against a nearby table and informed him of his conversation with Mimi.

"I told her that it's probably because you've been so busy with the concert. It _is_ that, right?"

"Yeah...of course..." the younger sibling instantly felt confused as he noticed the hesitation in Yamato's voice and the way his eyes shifted to one side, betraying his guilt.

"Wait a minute – you _have_ been avoiding her!" Takeru accused him in disbelief and the older blonde sat back in his seat, folded his arms across his chest and let out a sigh of defeat.

"Ok, yes, I have – but _not_ because I don't want to be with her!" He exclaimed. "It's because..."

His mind immediately went back to the week before.

 _Mimi's tightly wrapped her arm around Yamato's as they walked along, her head leaning against his shoulder. They had just spent a day at the zoo (which has been one of Mimi's planned summer activities) and he was now walking her home. It had been a beautiful summer's day and now the sunset was turning the sky into a multi-coloured canvas. Shades of blue and white mixed with yellows, oranges and pinks and birds that flew above them were black silhouettes against it all. It was truly beautiful._

 _Yet still not as beautiful as the girl on his arm._

" _It's so peaceful," Mimi remarked quietly as she squeezed his arm a little tighter. Yamato just nodded in agreement and smiled down at her as they stopped outside her apartment building. "I've had such a fun day! Thank you so much, Yama."_

" _Don't thank me, it was your idea to go - you always have great ideas for things to do," he complimented her as he took hold of her hands and allowed himself to lose himself in her gaze for a moment._

 _Really, really beautiful..._

 _The golden light of the setting sun shone on her face, causing her eyes to burn even brighter than usual. Her hair glistened like a halo and her whole face was just radiant. Suddenly he realised she really was no longer that lost little girl in the pink cowgirl hat. She was a confident, sweet, funny and incredible young woman._

 _And he loved her._

 _His heart started to race in his chest and his mouth suddenly went completely dry at this thought; she gave him a slightly puzzled look._

" _Are you ok?" she asked._

" _Mimi, I..." the words caught in his throat as he panicked._

" _You...?" she tried to encourage him to finish his sentence, but it was no good, he'd lost his nerve._

" _I'll see you again soon, ok?" He managed to blurt out, before stooping forward to give her a kiss._

" _I hope so!" She grinned at him and gave him a tight hug before turning to head home. "Let me know when you're home, ok?" He nodded and watched her until she had entered the building, feeling overwhelmed by his emotions._

"It's because...I..." he couldn't admit it to Takeru, who raised his eyebrows and let out a chuckle.

"Wow, this is _definitely_ going in my memoirs!" he joked. "I'll title the section 'The Day My Brother Lost His Cool Over A Girl'." Yamato scowled at his brother's mirth. "Sorry, I know you're being serious. So, are you really avoiding her just so you don't have to tell her how you actually feel? Why?"

"What if she doesn't feel the same way about me? What if she just thinks I'm joking around or I scare her off by going too fast?" Yamato didn't need long to consider Takeru's question, as the reasons were all he'd been thinking about for the past week.

"And what if you lose her by _not_ telling her?" Takeru pointed out. "You need to tell her – tonight, after the concert. I don't think you'll regret it." He winked and grabbed an envelope off the table. "Thanks for sorting out the tickets and passes, I'll make sure the others get them. I'll see you later."

"Sure," Yamato raised a hand in farewell as his brother walked off, leaving him to think about their conversation.

* * *

The concert was two hours away and Mimi was deep in thought as she picked at the dinner Satoe had prepared. Ever since she had parted ways with Takeru she had gone through what felt like a million different scenarios in respect of her impending confrontation with Yamato. She had gone through so many different speeches – calm and composed ones, angry ones, sad ones, even jokey ones – but every one had seemed wrong in some way.

Satoe had been watching her daughter throughout the meal with concern. In fact she had been watching her over the past few days and had noted her sad and quiet demeanour. She was not used to Mimi being like this, but she had a good idea what was happening and was just waiting for the right time to broach the subject.

"Are you not feeling hungry, sweetie?" She broke the silence that hung over the room, resting her chin on her hands. Mimi looked up at her with serious eyes and put her chopsticks down.

"Not really. Mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course you can, you know that."

"Am I too young to be in love?"

Satoe couldn't help but smile fondly – it seemed the time had arrived at last.

"Well, Mimi, everyone experiences different emotions at different stages of their lives," she explained. "You have been through so much in your life already, what with your adventures with your friends, and so you have had to grow up so quickly – more quickly than I would have liked. However, I also know you have always felt your emotions quite strongly, even before all of that. So no, I don't think you're too young to be in love." She stood up and started to tidy away the dishes. "Besides, I was around your age when I met your father, and I knew I loved him almost immediately." Mimi sighed and rested her head in her arms on the table.

"But why does it have to _hurt_ this much? I'm so scared that if I tell Yamato how I feel he will just push me away even more – he's so restrained with his emotions compared to me." Satoe placed a comforting hand on her daughter's back.

"I know he is, but he still feels them as much as you feels yours. I've seen how he looks at you, Mimi, and I'm _very_ sure he won't push you away if you tell him."

At almost the exact time this mother-daughter exchange was happening, a similar conversation was taking place not too far away.

"Have you told Sora you love her yet?" Yamato blurted out, causing Taichi to almost choke on the mouthful of noodles he'd just sucked up from his bowl. The two boys were sat at a park bench eating ramen they'd purchased from a nearby cart at the festival. Yamato had been having very similar thoughts to Mimi all afternoon, again thanks to his brother. He had no idea how he was going to say _those words_ to her; the idea made him feel queasy and anxious yet also annoyed that, as Takeru had pointed out, he'd completely 'lost his cool' over a girl.

"Woah, that's a bit of a deep question for such a lovely summer's day, isn't it?" Taichi quipped as he recovered from his initial surprise.

"I'm being serious – have you?" The tone in Yamato's voice made it very clear to his friend that he definitely was in no mood for jokes.

"Well, actually, yes," Taichi answered.

"How did you do it?"

"Errr..." the boy suddenly shuffled in his seat and ran a hand through his thick mop of hair awkwardly. "Actually, Sora said it first." Yamato almost dropped his chopsticks at the revelation.

" _Sora said it first_?!" He spluttered. "Really?" Taichi's cheeks were red as his poked at his ramen sheepishly.

"Yeah...I wasn't expecting it either," he replied, his voice softening as he thought about the moment. "It was after the last day of school; she asked me to meet her on the tennis courts. I'd been able to tell something was on her mind all day but I had no idea what until she said it." Yamato leant in closer, intrigued by the story.

"And you said it back right away?"

"Of course I did, why wouldn't I? It's the truth, after all."

"Hmm...so maybe I should just wait until Mimi tells me..." the blonde murmured to himself thoughtfully, folding his arms across his chest. Taichi picked up on his friend's words and immediately smirked.

"Ah-ha, so _that's_ why you asked!" He slapped Yamato on the back, sending him almost head-first into his bowl of noodles. "You're getting pretty serious with Mimi then? You know, I still struggle believing you guys got together in the first place."

"It's been five months, Taichi, I would have thought that was long enough for you to have got it into your thick head." Yamato retorted drily. His friend chose to ignore the comment and continued.

"If you think you should wait for Mimi to make the first move, you're an idiot. This is _Mimi_ we're talking about - she's all about the romance! You've gotta go big, make a real _moment_ of it, she'll love it!" Yamato eyed Taichi uncertainly.

"You think so?"

"I _know_ so," he slapped Yamato on the back again. "Go for it, Yamato!"

"Stop slapping me!" The blonde snapped as he reached out a hand and shoved his companion right off the bench.

"Actually, the correct response was 'thanks for all your help, Taichi, you're clearly more knowledgeable about girls than me'!" Taichi exclaimed from the floor, as Yamato rolled his eyes and went back to his ramen in silence.

* * *

Knife of Day were to be the third band on stage that evening, which gave Mimi ample time to discuss her situation with her other friends. Just as Takeru had been that morning, they all did their best to reassure her that it was probably just the stress of the concert getting to him and things would improve once it was over. The only person who didn't try to comfort her was Koushiro, who suddenly announced following her explanation of what had been happening with her boyfriend recently that he'd forgotten something at home but promised to return before Yamato's band was on as he rushed off with an oddly determined (and, Mimi thought, rather angry?) look on his face. Sora could see how emotional her friend was getting, so she grabbed Mimi's hand and led her away from the others to sit, as fate would have it, on the exact bench the boys had sat on just a few hours earlier.

"As you gave me such excellent support and advice about Taichi the other week, I think it's only fair I return the favour." The red head smiled. She had really struggled with her decision to tell Taichi exactly how she felt and, after what had felt like endless days of soul-searching, she had eventually turned to Mimi for help. "I know you're feeling what I was feeling back then, right? Unsure that it's the right time, scared that Yamato will not feel the same way, wondering if you really even _are_ in love?" Mimi simply nodded in silence, remembering how she had sat and listened to Sora pour her heart out about her love for Taichi. "And you recall what you said to me, don't you? You said 'If you love him, then why shouldn't you tell him? It's better than just bottling it up and stressing about it. It might be scary but you'll feel so much better once it's off your chest', and you were right about everything."

"But I knew that Taichi loved you already – it was so obvious." Mimi mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"It wasn't to me," Sora replied. "So I am telling you to take your own advice – if you love him, then why shouldn't you tell him?" Mimi looked up at her, her caramel-coloured eyes full of tears and pain.

"What if he doesn't say it back, Sora?" Sora took hold of her hands and squeezed them.

"If he doesn't, then it will hurt, but at least you will know. I don't think that will happen, though."

"Takeru and mom both said the same," Mimi remarked. "What do you all know that I don't?"

"We all know Yamato – you do too really, but you've let doubt cloud your judgement." Sora pulled her to her feet. "Come on, the band will be on soon."

* * *

They reached the others just as Koushiro returned from his impromptu departure and Knife of Day were introducing themselves. There were a lot of kids from their school at the concert, and so the band got a great reaction from the audience. As they played Sora and Hikari desperately tried to get Mimi to dance and sing along with them, but it was a fruitless endeavour. The girl couldn't take her eyes off Yamato as she tried to work out what could be going on in his mind. _It's completely useless_ , she thought defeatedly, _I have no idea what he's thinking; he's so involved in performing that he's hardly even looked in my direction_!

It was true that he had hardly looked her way, and Mimi was also partly right that that was because he was concentrating hard on his performance. However what she had failed to realise was that as soon as Yamato had spotted her in the crowd he had started to yet again think about what he was going to say to her after the concert; so he'd told himself that he needed to focus on what he was playing and not Mimi, otherwise the set would be a complete disaster and his band mates would kill him. So far it had been successful and they had made it to the last song of their set, which would be the most difficult of them all for Yamato as it just happened to be 'Unexpected', which of course immediately brought his thoughts back round to his girlfriend. As he sang he instinctively looked towards her, but the sun had now set and it was harder to see her face due to the stage lights, which he was thankful for as when he'd caught sight of her earlier it had still been light enough for him to see her clearly; she had waved and smiled at him but the expression had been half-hearted, not the usual sunny grin he was used to getting from her, and it had made his heart ache. He hated to think she was upset and thinking badly of him. _It's your own fault, you should have faced up to your feelings instead of running away from them_! He admonished himself.

Then, without warning, he heard Taichi's words again: _"You've gotta go big, make a real moment of it..."_

And, as the last chords of the song filled the air, Yamato did just that.

"Mimi Tachikawa – I love you!"

As soon as the words left his lips he knew he'd made a terrible mistake. The whole moment passed like a blur and he was fairly sure he'd not even looked at her as he'd said it...in fact he was _really_ sure that his eyes had actually been closed! Feeling numb, he pulled the plug from his guitar and rushed off the stage, his stomach churning and his face flushing.

Mimi couldn't believe her ears or eyes as she stood frozen to the spot, staring in disbelief at the blonde who had just decided to profess his love to her in the most impersonal way ever. She felt her whole body start to tremble and the tears came quickly after.

"Mimi..." she thought she heard Sora or Hikari or someone call her name but she barely heard them as she turned and started to push her way through the audience; needing to get as far away as quickly as possible. After the initial shock came the anger. How _dare_ he! After how he'd treated her that week, he decides to announce to hundreds of strangers that he _loved_ her? And he hadn't even looked at her as he'd said it! How could he be so heartless? She managed to get out of the crowd and into fresh air, which she took long hard gasps of as she sobbed, her mind spinning with confusion.

But...had he meant it? Did he love her?

She forced herself to calm down and consider again what had just occurred. Yamato had said he loved her. Ok, it had been badly done but he'd said the one thing she had been planning to say to him.

He loved her...

A sudden feeling of relief washed over her, and she realised the anxiety she had been holding within herself over the past few days had completely gone.

"He loves me," she murmured to herself, looking back towards the stage, where now another band was playing. "Yamato loves me!"

* * *

"You idiot!"

Whilst Mimi was coming to terms with Yamato's declaration, the boy was left to explain himself to the others backstage. Sora glared at him furiously after greeting him in a way that seemed oddly familiar. "What were you _thinking_?!"

"I wasn't!" He snapped back, angry at himself for making such a spectacle after what had been an excellent performance by the band. "It's all Taichi's fault!"

"What?! What did _I_ do?!" Taichi spoke up in surprise.

"You told me to make a big moment out of telling Mimi I love her!"

"Wow, you really _are_ an idiot," Hikari commented blithely. "Taking relationship advice from my brother."

" _Heeey_!" Taichi exclaimed, taking offence at his sister's cutting remark.

"You need to sort this out, Yamato, quickly!" Sora continued, ignoring her boyfriend's hopeful face as he hoped she'd stand up for him.

"I know, but where has Mimi gone?"

"Koushiro and Takeru are looking for her, I don't think she will have gone far. She was just really taken aback by it, I think we all were!" Sora's eyes softened as she patted his arm. "It was very brave of you to announce it like that, you know? But you really ought to have known that Mimi would have preferred for you to tell her face to face." Yamato looked at the ground sheepishly.

"I know, but I panicked," he sighed. "I just hope I can fix it..."

"Hey, idiot," Shinji's voice broke the moment and Yamato felt annoyed as yet another person insulted him. "Mimi is out back; if I were you I'd get out there and sort things out before I make my move." He winked and Yamato glared at him.

"You go near her and I'll forceably insert one of your drumsticks somewhere very uncomfortable," he growled as he pushed past him.

"Touchy!" The drummer yelled after him.

* * *

The seating area behind the stage that had been set up for the bands was fortunately quiet as most of the performers had chosen to go out front to support each other. As Yamato walked down the steps from the stage he saw Mimi was stood with her back to him, which meant he couldn't gauge her mood. Hesitantly he stepped over to her, wishing he could see her face. Mimi sensed his approach and felt her heart skip. She finally turned to face him when he was right behind her, flipping her hair off her shoulder as she tried her best to remain cool and composed. Her resolve almost slipped however as soon as she saw the uncertainty in his face and for what felt like a very long time they stood in silence, simply staring at each other and trying to work out what to say.

Yamato managed to get there first.

"I'm sorry," he told her, his voice low as he didn't want to draw the attention of the few people who were sat nearby chatting among themselves. "I've messed up so much this week, haven't I? I couldn't believe it when Takeru told me that you thought I wanted to break up with you, but the more I thought about it the more I realised how badly I'd treated you lately. I just...I just didn't know how to handle how I'm feeling about you. Then tonight I totally lost it - I just wanted you not to be upset anymore and to know the truth." He stepped right up to her and took hold of her hands, his eyes fixed firmly on hers – there was no way he was getting this wrong a second time. "Mimi, I love you." Mimi slipped her hands out of his as she allowed tears started to slide down her cheeks unchecked as she finally gave into her emotions. She tenderly cupped his face and leaned right up against him as she replied:

"I love you too, Yama." She then pulled him towards her and kissed him, swearing to herself that she would never forget this moment.

The romantic moment was interrupted far too quickly, however.

"Oh, here you are!" Koushiro exclaimed breathlessly; it seemed he had been running around all this time, looking for Mimi. "You sorted things out, great! Yamato – you should have an email from someone claiming to be a talent scout – _please_ do _not_ open it! In fact, don't look at _any_ emails – don't even turn your computer on, not until I tell you to, ok?" The redhead looked rather embarrassed as he spoke. "Promise you'll do that?"

"Uhhh, sure, Koushiro..." Yamato replied, still holding a very confused-looking Mimi in his arms.

"Great! I'm really sorry, I just got angry when I saw how upset Mimi was...anyway, I'm glad you got your problems resolved. I'm going to catch up with the others now, bye!" The boy raised a hand in farewell before turning and leaving via the stage steps. Yamato chuckled to himself as he realised what had happened.

"Ok, so what was _that_ about?!" Mimi questioned as she moved out of their embrace. Yamato couldn't help but smile at her baffled expression.

" _That_ was you having a really great friend," he replied, throwing his arm across her shoulders. "How about I explain over ice cream?" His girlfriend's eyes lit up immediately.

"Now that sounds good to me!" She grinned as they started to walk back towards the noise of the festival. "You know, Palmon and I had a look around the festival earlier and we noticed a throwing game – if you knock all the bottles off a stand you get a Palmon-sized version of that plushie you gave me!"

"You don't say..."

"You'll win it for me, won't you?"

"Not again!"

* * *

 **A.N. - It's finally done! I can't believe that it has been over 6 months since I wrote the last chapter – we were just waiting for Determination to come out and now we have had the sob-fest that was Confession!**

 **I have to say this chapter has been an absolute nightmare to write. I've really suffered with a lot of self-doubt whilst doing it, so I apologise if it is too cliché, too out of character, too repetitive, etc. These were some of the things I was concerned about, but I had to just tell myself that this is what I wanted to write and so I should just write it and if people don't enjoy it, then that's their opinion. I also hope that people understand the moment with Koushiro at the end (if you don't, go back to chapter 2!).**

 **I really do hope that you have enjoyed reading not only this chapter but the whole fic. It's the first time I've managed a multi-chapter piece so it's quite an achievement for me!**

 **By the way, in case you were wondering, I made it my personal mission in this chapter to see how many different characters I could get to call Yamato an idiot ;)**

 **Also, the title of this chapter comes from a song called 'Sunday' by Bloc Party. The whole line goes 'You see giant proclamations are all very well, but our love is louder than words', I thought it went well with this chapter :)**

 ***A. M. ***


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